Ex Infernalis
by IceStryder
Summary: Link is plunged into a battle against Hell itself. Against such an enemy, Link's very soul is put to the test. Mature themes, Explicit violence and sexuality.


Chapter 1

The sound of leather smacking stone echoed through the floating fortress. All else was silent within the cold, gray walls. A lone warrior clad in a torn green tunic over a a worn chain shirt was on the last leg of a journey that had spanned forwards and backwards through time. As a young boy, he had taken possession of the Master Sword, the bane of evil, but he was not ready to wield the weapon. The Sage of Light had no choice but to keep Link's body in a stasis for seven long years, hidden from Ganondorf until he was ready to assume the mantle of Hero of Time.

When he awoke, the boy had swathed a path through the evil creatures awakened by the wizard Ganondorf. Ganondorf had tested the young warrior's resolve time and time again in the corrupted Temples of Sages. It had taken every last shred of cunning and strength for him to overcome Ganondorf's traps and free the Sages. With the sacred sword and a heart filled with courage, Link had faced down every vile test set before him. None could stand before his pure heart and strength of arm. It was time to bring Light back to the world of Hyrule.

Ganondorf's reign had been a bloody one. The wizard had usurped the throne so swiftly that the brave soldiers of Hyrule never stood a chance. He had infiltrated the palace using his dark magic to hide his identity and corrupted many of the Hylian soldiers within. When he gained the power of the Triforce, he called for an attack. With his new power, and soldiers already placed within, victory came within minutes. Those in Hyrule who did not seek escape immediately were put to the sword or enslaved to Ganondorf's dark power.

The Triforce that had once been a beacon of hope for the people of Hyrule had turned into their nightmare. With a mere touch, the relic had broken apart, it's pieces scattering, leaving only the Piece of Power. Taking hold of the remaining piece, Ganondorf's depraved soul corrupted it, turning its power to evil. As he became more and more twisted and his power grew, the very land around him became perverted. Monsters began to roam the country side, a black cloud began to hang over that which was once Hyrule city, and the great evils once banished began to awake.

The flicker of the torches cast a hellish glow upon Link's elvish face. Sweat dampened, blond hair veiled icy blue eyes. The bloodshot globes were ablaze with intensity that grew with every step he took, but his body keenly felt the rigors of the near endless struggle. His heart pounded in his chest and his throat became dry. The silver and blue hilt of his sword was held loosely in his left hand; his shield hung limply from his other arm. He tried to pace his breathing, as he felt a strange fear inside threatening to overwhelm him. He wanted nothing more than to run away, to run away and forget this had ever happened. He could return the Master Sword and travel back in time perhaps, and avoid it all.

Stabbing pain shot through his skull and visions burned in his mind's eye. Link saw himself opening the very doors to the Sacred Realm to his enemy. Link bowed to Ganondorf as the vile sorcerer marched passed and took possession of the ancient relic, the Triforce. The golden light of the relic melted to black under the wizard's corrupting touch, casting the entire world into darkness.

"No!" Link grunted, his teeth clenched against the pain. "That is not what happened." Whispers flooded his mind, casting doubt. _Betrayer. Traitor. Failure. _Link shook his head violently, trying to clear the voices from his mind. He turned his head high and shouted, "Your time is at an end Ganondorf! The Light is with me and you shall be purified!"

A blue bubble of energy floated anxiously around the warrior as he battled the internal force. The fairy had been instrumental in saving the warrior from certain death many times. Though she was a nuisance at first, the warrior and the fairy had grown to become best friends. "Link, don't give up, we are almost there," the fairy said.

Link felt a hot rush of anger drive through him and wanted nothing more than to drive his sword through the mage's black heart. With his rage building, he ascended the last step. A massive, steel-plated door covered in strange inscriptions and a dominated by spiked eight-pointed star painted in blood blocked his path. The eight pointed star began to glow a deep red as Link reached out to the door. A dirge from beyond the door reached his ears. The somber notes pierced the warrior's heart, setting his blood to a boil, and with swift kick with his boot Link had the door open.

There Ganondorf sat, playing an organ, his full attention upon his music. Anger flowed through him as he saw Zelda suspended from the roof in spiked chains. She had been stripped to the nude and bound by her wrists and ankles by wicked implements. The princess struggled against the iron links, and Link watched helplessly as they bit into her flesh, drawing out a river of crimson. She screamed, begging to be set free, her words drowned out by the sinister music. Link readied his sword and shield and growled at the wizard, "Turn toward me coward and face the justice of the Light."

The notes on the organ silenced and Ganondorf spun to face the green clad warrior. Link struggled to contain the shock at just how much Ganondorf had changed in the seven years he had been asleep. Deep scars ran grooves through ashy flesh that had been changed from a deep brown to azure. Red eyes pulsed with hatred as they locked onto Link. The wizard stood, revealing a frame over eight feet in height clad in armor the color of night. "The Hero of Time at last. How nice it is of you to finally reach me. They told me you would come. I was starting to have my doubts." Link looked at him in confusion. "Who told you I would come?"

Ganondorf ignored him. "Did you really believe you can stop the great Ganondorf? I am the most powerful wizard ever to grace this pitiful world! Your little crusade is over boy. You were a thorn in my side at first, but you led me right to my real prize, Zelda." Ganondorf ran a hand down the milky skin of her arm, collecting a small trickle of her blood on the tip of his glove. He touched the blood to his tongue, savoring the taste. "Her blood will bring about the damnation of all of Hyrule. You will all be a sacrifice to the Dark Gods," he bellowed

Ganondorf laughed and raised his right fist. Behind him rose a dark object. It was like looking into a swirling black void, no light reflected off its surface. Oily tendrils of smoke spewed from its surface, coalescing around Ganondorf. "I know you may have the Piece of Courage whelp. I also know that she," The wizard gestured at trapped princess, "has the Piece of Wisdom. They will be mine. They _must _be mine!" Link saw in the mage's eyes that he was quickly becoming unhinged.

Link leapt forward, closing the gap between them with sudden speed. Link's blade sliced through the air at the exposed neck of the mage, almost dealing a finishing blow before meeting a violent resistance. An explosion of purple energy threw both men back. Link tumbled back into a crouch, his tunic singed from the burst. Ganondorf floated almost lazily in the air above him. "You don't get it you fool. Your entire world is lost. Give up now and embrace eternity." Ganondorf extended his hand, releasing an all engulfing wave of violet energy laced with smoking black fissures. Link, unable to evade the massive wave, was completely enveloped. Wracking pain tore through the elf's body, eliciting a cry of pure anguish from his lips. A cruel smirk spread across Ganondorf's face as he clenched his hand into a fist, using a web of the violet energy to draw Link's immobile body closer.

Link breathed ragged gasps, looking up defiantly to his nemesis. The warrior struggled against the force binding him, fury building within him. Reaching deep into the well of his strength, Link fought to shake the magic that bound him in pain. Tiny blue flashes of energy caught Ganondorf unaware, hitting him directly in his eyes. Ganondorf instinctively raised his arm to shield his gaze from the diminutive attacker that harassed him.

Using the distraction to full advantage, Link summoned the will to break from Ganondorf's spell. He ran to where the fiend had chained Zelda and with a few quick slashes, she was free. Zelda tore herself free of the chains, placing a hand over the gaping wounds. "Link, I know a way to defeat this monster, but I need you to buy me time to complete the spell. We will banish his evil forever." Link nodded then strode toward Ganondorf with grim determination.

A flare of violet stopped him dead in his tracks. Link could do nothing but watch in mute horror as Navi was reduced to ash as she was swallowed up by the power. Ganondorf grinned with self satisfaction. "Her soul is the plaything of the Dark Gods now. The Dark Gods yearn to taste your soul as well Hero of Time." Link heard a female voice deep in his mind. "His defenses are weakened from exertion, Link," came Zelda's unspoken voice, "He is no longer protected like he was."

Link wasted no time, viciously assaulting Ganondorf with a series of slashes. Ganondorf was forced back by the fury of the attack, desperately trying to evade the shining blade that sought to end his life. Link savagely beat against the onyx bracers of Ganondorf, driving the sorcerer back against a rune inscribed stone wall. A final piercing thrust that shattered through the armor of Ganondorf's abdomen impaled the wizard in place.

The adrenaline faded from Link's body and he turned to Zelda on unsteady legs. "It's finished your Highness. Ganondorf is…" Link's sentence hung in the air as the room filled with the electric tang of magic. The hair on his body stood on end and the smell of ozone filled his nostrils. A keen whining filled the air and Link was barely able to dodge his own sword as it flew across the throne room. The corrupted Piece of Power moved on its own with a speed that seemed unnatural. It collided with Ganondorf, releasing a torrent of energy as it wormed its way into his chest cavity. Ganondorf became a storm of hatred, pulses of every negative emotion imaginable emanating from him in a sinister aura. The negative energy coalesced into a dense black sphere that absorbed the light from around it.

"You will have your soul stripped bare in Hell," coughed Ganondorf, blood dribbling down his chin with the stress of speaking. He raised his arms above his head, flinging the sphere at Link. Link dug his feet into the ground, bringing his shield to the fore, his lips whispering prayers to the Goddesses. Link drew back his sword as the sphere grew nearer; he prayed for the strength to deflect the wicked magic. Link lashed out, clenching his teeth as his sword met the orb straight on. Energies crackled and burst around Link, exploding outward into the room in curls of electricity.

Link began to feel a power rushing through his body as he fought to cast off the overwhelming energy that threatened to consume him. The blade of the Master Sword was glowing white hot, and Link felt a primeval energy that desired to be released. With a burst of might, Link pushed the orb away and thrust at the very heart of the darkness. Incandescent energy blazed from the Master Sword, a lance of white hot fire piercing deep into the dark globe. All were forced to shield their eyes from the brilliant display of light flashed as it blended with darkness.

The great display of energies fed one another, expanding as if filled with hot air. There was the sound of an immense rip and at the center of the energy, a void of shimmering ruby tore open. A cacophony of disembodied voices erupted from the void and images of faces plastered in absolute horror throbbed on its surface seeking escape from some unseen torment.

Ganondorf laughed in maniacal glee, holding his arms out wide as if to embrace the void itself. Zelda frantically spoke incantations of magic, her arms and hands weaving symbols of power. A soft nimbus of light surrounded both her and Link, but all of Link's attention was on the scene unfolding before his eyes. He could do nothing but watch in mute fascination as the expansion of the void consumed each of them.


End file.
